Looking for recommendations on a good (Honda?) dadmobile

[venusmom]

Guys! Going to be a dad in a couple of months and I wanted to hear some opinions about a good dadmobile.

Looking at Honda right now; can’t decide between the Pilot, the Odyssey, or the CR V.

If you guys have one of these cars I’d love to hear about your experiences with it!

On the other hand if these all suck shit and you’ve got a better idea, please let me know!

 

[kwanie]

@venusmom Idk how many kids you have, but if you're looking at the pilot I'd recommend checking out the passport too. It is 2 rows instead of 3, but the hatch fits a lot more stuff and it is slightly smaller than the pilot which helps for getting around town, but it still has plenty of interior space. Also the passport has a more "manly" design imo for a dadmobile. Cant really go wrong with Honda though, so whatever is a good fit for you will serve your family well! My wife has an hrv and I plan on a civic hatch hopefully in a year or so (still in my 09 civic coupe for now).

 

[venusmom]

@kwanie I’ll take a look at the passport. Thanks!

 

[wiichkuneew]

@venusmom I love my Subaru Forester!

 

[queenos]

@venusmom We love our Jeep’s! Can’t recommend them enough

 

[mellie]

@venusmom Scott kilmore does a YouTube channel and says the honda Odassey has some serious transmission problems, I would look into that before buying one.

 

[raffles32]

@venusmom Subie Outback has beem good for me so far. It's not a Honda, but it's SAFE, has enough room for baby & gear, amazing traction in all weather (i live in new england), and can be used to tow, put stuff on the roof rack, etc.

I'd recommend checking them out, but I'm biased. My mother had a 2000 Honda Odyssey (Gold). That thing was pretty great (6 cylinder), but low clearance. I like being higher off the ground and not having to worry about grinding over speed bumps

 

[jakeinatx]

@venusmom We just bought the Mazda CX-9. I didn’t want a mini van (this is our first) but wanted some flexibility on seating. We have a black lab we tend to tow around so the extra cargo room is amazing. We bought a 2021 Touring trim and it’s SO nice. Much nicer than the RAV4 or CRV we were looking at. We love it!

 

[chrishill88]

@venusmom Very happy with our recently purchased (6 months) used 2018 CR-V base model. Good price. Not oversized and rated very nearly as safe as they come. Only issue is the engine/CVT transmission. Engine is small, great fuel efficiency though. CVT has been fine so far but it’s longevity kind of makes me nervous.

Happy with Honda’s maintenance intervals and the expectations that if it is well cared for it will last us for a very long time.

Pilot/odyssey choice comes down to expected use. Ultimately up to you but if you get a good deal it’s hard to pass up a Honda in my opinion.

As far as it’s “dadmobile” status, rocking up to the park or running to the shops feels pretty “right.” And having grown up riding around in late 90s and early 2000s odyssey’s, i’m much more partial to the mid size SUV in both look and feel.

Hope this helps. Congrats man.

 

[venusmom]

@chrishill88 It does! Thanks!

 

[cminister111]

@venusmom If you're looking at a Honda made in the last 7 or 8 years, know that they are not making cars with the same reliability and longevity that they were once known for. Their transmissions have been shit for 20 years and now the tiny engines with massive boost pressure they're using are proving to be problematic too.

Realistically, if you're looking for a vehicle with bulletproof reliability and a high safety rating, Toyota/Lexus and Mazda are where you want to be. The Mazda CX-5 is perennially on the Car and Driver 10Best list, IIHS Top Safety Pick+, and Consumer Reports most reliable cars list. It's the best looking and best appointed small SUV (besides luxury brands of course); it's my go-to recommendation for just about anyone.

 

[icecreamassassin]

@cminister111 We have a CX-5 and are trying to figure out what to do about our one-car situation with twins on the way. Love our CX-5. Was surprised when I was researching 30 months ago that Mazda was rising to the top, though feel we made a great decision.

 

[cminister111]

@icecreamassassin They're making a pivot to being a luxury brand but the prices haven't pivoted with the increase in quality yet. It's a good time to buy a Mazda lol

 

[easternpresent]

@venusmom Yukon Denali. Vroom

 

[dawn_ks]

@venusmom For the safety of your future little one(s) make sure if the vehicle you get has 3rd row seating that the middle row is not bucket seats. Safest place for a carseat is as close to dead center of the vehicle as possible. In the far back 3rd row there's not a lot of space behind LO to absorb the kinetic energy from getting rear ended and they will be subject to much more danger.

I actually just picked up a '99 CR-V to replace my old Rendezvous that died. It's smaller but it's a safest choice of what I had available for my 2 year old

 

[huggy]

@dawn_ks Gen 1 CRV's are becoming rare

 

[dawn_ks]

@huggy Should mine have what I'm assuming is a second catalytic converter or muffler? Off the motor to the back of the vehicle there's 3 parts separated by exhaust piping. I'm not super familiar with imports and the most I've ever fucked with on exhaust was helping a buddy weld a bracket to hold up the exhaust pipe to line up with his muffler properly again

 

[huggy]

@dawn_ks Ah sorry can't help you there. I don't know auto like that.

All I know is gen 1 had a cooler and gen 2 had a table! I still have the table.

 

[dawn_ks]

@huggy Mine must be gen 2 then, has the pull out table in the back

 

[huggy]

@dawn_ks Just did a search I was wrong. Gen 1 and 2 came with tables. idk where I got the cooler idea from.